I came home from work today and my wife told me about a "burnt orange" RX-7 that looks "alot like mine." She said she saw it on the way to taking our daughter to the doctor for her 4 month check up, and said if I wanted to see if it was still there I could go check it out. I went, and the car was just where she said it was. I stopped and knocked on the door of the house, and a 90+ year old woman answered. I asked if the car was hers, and she said the "kid in the back doing some painting" for her owned it, and she didn't mind if I went back to talk to him. I went on back to find two guys working on a garden shed. The "kid" ended up being a retired 68 year old carpenter. He was a really nice guy and was more than happy to show the car to me. Apparently his daughter tried to buy a Corvette from the local dealer in 1984, and the dealer told her to come back with her Daddy when she thought she was ready for a 'Vette. She left and went straight to the Mazda dealer and bought a new GS. She then took it back to the Chevy dealer and informed him that she had intended on buying that day and having Daddy there was not necessary. HAHAHA!

The car is an all origional 1984 GS with air, cruise, AM/FM/tape, sun roof, manual steering, and a 5 speed. He said the paint is called Percimmon (sp?) with a dark gray interior. I had never seen that color in person before. The only 2 dings on the car are on the rear by the lock for the hatch glass where her boyfriend at the time was trying to load a saddle into the car and a stirrup dropped on the body. It has 110,000 miles and he said he only drives it about 2,000 miles a year now. He also said it has been nothing but reliable. He was nice enough to take me for a ride in it. (This is the first 12a powered car I've ever ridden in. Sad, I know.) He had to move three seat cushions off of the passenger seat before I could get in. He told me he has a 99 year old neighbor lady that he takes to the doctor every week in because the 7 is the only car he has that she can get in and out of.

Come to find out, he just lives a few miles from me and has agreed to let me come over and use his car as reference material for the 84 GS I am starting to restore. If I get the chance to go over and get some pictures soon, I'll post them up.

I think owning a fun little car like the RX-7 is only the half of it. I enjoy the stories behind the cars and their owners, and it always makes me smile when people are willing to share them with me.

 

Great story

 

try and buy it off him lol

 

I share the same opinions as the 2 knuckleheads above me

Nice story though. Maybe tomorrow I will type the letter the original owner wrote to the guy who bought it (which, in turn, I bought from him).

 

He said others have tried to buy it, but this is his only "toy car". He said his wife of 40 years suggested he sell it because it was getting old, but he told her he had as much drive to sell it as he had trading 40 years of marriage for two twenty year olds. LOL!

Besides, I've got enough with trying to restore one 7. I figure by the time I get mine done, we'll all be flying our Jettson-mobiles to the retirement center.

 

I've been living in my house for nearly six years now, and last week I ran across two RX7s within a couple of blocks of my house. They both claim to have lived there for years, and had never seen me either. Very strange.

 

I had an elderly lady pull up next to me at a light, signaled me to roll down my window and then she proceeded to tell me that she used to have an 85 rx7 and that her only regret in life was selling it.

I dont think I will either...if thats her ONLY regret in life....

 

Excellent story. You should ask him if you can enter his car and name in the Registry.

 

Feel good story. Thanks for sharing. Do post pictures and see if the "young man" is willing to let you add it to our registry.

 

Check the rear brakes too, that options list sounds like GSL to me. Great story though. I get somebody every once in a while come into my work(AutoZone) and ask who's little Mazda is out front and share a story of how they/someone they knew/relative/done the nasty with used to own one. I've had a couple of "Is it a Datsun?" as well and when I say no that it's an RX-7 they usually reply with,"Really? Looks alot like them Z cars"

 

Nope, it's a GS. I was poking around the rear control arm mount for rust and saw the drums. BTW, it had rust there

 

Is rust on the rear arms common?

 

Yes, nice story. I get many comments and stories, it's a nice thing about owning and driving a vintage auto. Odd thing, in my previous two RXs, many of the stories ended with, "...but it was totaled...", "...I rolled it..." or similar horror stories.

I remembered tonight, driving at night, what I experienced with the previous rx's. I was at a red light and a truck pulled up behind me and I was blinded by my own side mirrors. I thought, "Oh yeah, get used to it, it used to happen all the time. For the last few years I have been the lifted truck blinding the sports cars at the light. My turn again."

 

Yeah, I have seen it on this forum on other cars, and am currently battling it on mine. Here's some pics if I did the attachment right. It's really frusterating as ths is the only rust on my car.

Can anyone link me to the thread that addresses the rust fix? I found it in the past but can't seem to get it again.

Thanks

 

Great story put a smile to my face.

 

Mine has those spots too. I planned on welding them this weekend... The engineers didn't realize that by putting those support plates there it would create pockets for moisture to rest.